Abstract

As part of the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Ningaloo Collaborative Cluster programme currently underway in Western Australia, this study aims to examine lagoonal habitats and biodiversity within Ningaloo Reef. Key habitat types were identified using information from hyperspectral remote sensing and were used to develop a stratified sampling approach. Two focal areas were selected, based on sanctuary zones within Ningaloo Marine Park: Osprey Bay and Coral Bay in the north and south respectively. A nested quadrat sampling regime was used to attempt to link field-collected data with remotely-sensed data, collected at different scales. Preliminary results confirm that northern sections of Ningaloo Reef differ greatly from the south, with a greater diversity of habitats present in the broader lagoons in the south. Greater areas of coral are found close inshore and across the entire reef at the southern location, compared with the northern section, which has a broad expanse of sand and limestone pavement before grading to corals further offshore (back-reef and reef-crest). These differences in habitat may have implications for the overall biodiversity of the two locations and more broadly along the reef.